It really depends on what you mean by "adversarial." I am a lawyer, and my practice is almost completely litigation-oriented. But only a small part of my time is actually spent in any kind of "confrontation" with anyone - arguing motions, cross-examining witnesses, and so on. The majority of my time is spent counseling clients - educating them about the law and the system, advising them of their options, creating and implementing strategies, and doing factual... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 12:10 PM on July 18, 2008

I've lived in or near the South for most of my life. Never seen a gas station do that, and I suspect I never will - they make too slim a margin to go wasting it on AC for all the great outdoors.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:33 PM on July 3, 2008

1. Should I worry about medical history? Should I be trying to figure out genetic disorders and all that?
For a donor, almost certainly not. Those folks are pretty well screened.

2. What about legally (documentation, inheritance, etc.) -- anything to worry about there?

Nope. Dad is Dad. Sperm donors are no more of a legal relation to you than kidney donors. (I am not your lawyer. Free... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 8:15 PM on July 1, 2008

If you want them to allow you to sleep in the same room without a fight, marry her. That's the only surefire way to convince them.

And, invest the time now so that someday, when your parents visit you in your house, you can make them sleep in separate beds, because after all, "My house, my rules!" I actually did this to my in-laws once. In jest, of course.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:51 PM on July 1, 2008

Your sister should no sooner attempt to do this without a lawyer than she would remove her own appendix without a surgeon. The result will be messy and painful, possibly causing permanent harm due to her lack of expertise.

She thinks she can't afford a lawyer? She can't afford the lack of one. Neither can her kids.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 12:09 PM on June 15, 2008 marked best answer

One way to get a "raise" is to get a new job with a higher salary.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 2:34 PM on May 1, 2008

913, since you currently run 10K's you have some basic understanding of how to ramp up your mileage for distance training for a single run. You might already be fit enough that you could probably train for a single marathon in a few months or less.

But to train for 140 consecutive marathons when your currently weekly mileage is probably no more than 30mi/wk ought to take you at least a couple of years if everything goes perfectly.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:44 AM on May 1, 2008

Your feelings about your partner's "looks" are probably a surrogate for something else going on. If the "looks" that concern you are the result of poor personal habits - bad hygiene, unhealthy diet or lack of activity - then you might be realizing that you want a partner who takes better care of himself.

If, on the other hand, it's just that he got dealt a bad hand genetically - funny shaped nose or other odd features - then it's likely you're... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:28 AM on May 1, 2008

Lots of great input - thanks everyone.

I'm pretty sure my mattress will need replacing (my bulk has dented it pretty badly over the years) and our current duvet situation is intolerable.

We already do a pretty good job of keeping the sheets clean & fresh and know how important that is.

As for WHY the beds in question pleased me, I have no specific idea but my subjective observations of the results. I'm pretty sure... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 11:49 AM on March 13, 2008

Remember that road construction is connected to the political process. At least part of the answer is that makers of concrete and asphalt have excellent lobbyists. (Ever been to a state where the interstate is ALL concrete? That's why.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:59 AM on March 13, 2008

I don't know Michigan law, but just because someone knows your birthday doesn't mean you've signed anything. Sounds like outright fraud to me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 3:12 PM on January 21, 2008

IAAL but IANY either. If a case like this would happen in my state, it would likely be grounds for a "repeat violence injunction" against the impersonator, based on stalking. That assumes that I could find out who the bad guy is and that they were also in my state.

It seems to me like the copyright dispute is the best way to get a toehold on the person's identity for further enforcement.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 1:03 PM on January 7, 2008

If I'm at a bar and I'm chatting up a girl, do I need to tell her halfway through the conversation, "by the way, this is club soda that I'm drinking."

I think that's a different situation - she was in the bar drinking, knowing she may or may not meet someone who may or may not have had as much, if any, alcohol as she. Eh.

Back to the original question for a moment... as long as you're not concealing the fact that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 12:24 PM on January 7, 2008

The salesperson told me that they had the car on their lot for about a month and that it was a "trade in".

If I read this correctly, the salesdrone has lied to you about the nature of the car's prior use. Forget the car, run like hell from those you know a re lying to you about the car they're trying to sell you.

After all, if you beat the hell out of it, you're responsible for any damage you cause to it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 12:12 PM on January 7, 2008 marked best answer

I have at least one friend who never even took the bar - he was a lobbyist before law school and he's a lobbyist now. He lights his cigars with jacksons and wipes his backside with hamiltons.

The franklins, I think he spends on women.

Now, if you want a soul or a personal life, this may not be the best career choice. But it can be lucrative, and the law school is useful, and the lack of a bar admission doesn't matter.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:41 PM on January 5, 2008

"I want to be able to say that the vast majority of doctors carry medical malpractice insurance that will cover the damages given at trial, but I understand that insurance has limits. So, I was wondering if the limits of medical malpractice insurance typically cover the liability damages."

This is much less true than it used to be, and the real issue you'll face is that the doctors often choose to reduce the amounts of their coverage... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:34 PM on January 5, 2008 marked best answer

You keep taking her back because it's seemingly better than your alternatives. Improve your alternatives.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 8:43 PM on January 1, 2008

IAAL and I am currently defending a number of these people. The lawsuits claim that they are downloading *and* sharing them on p2p networks.

The record industry finds these defendants on p2p networks, and I've not yet seen a case where someone was sued for downloading unless they were discovered sharing as well. The way the investigations currently work, it appears to me that there is no way to discover those merely downloading without sharing.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 8:20 PM on January 1, 2008

This guy wants only three things: your sincere appreciation, your time, and your attention. (maybe hot island monkey love too)
*Anything* else is just window dressing. So stop worrying that you'll blow it - just tell him he blew you away.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 2:07 PM on December 25, 2007 marked best answer

Davejay wins the thread.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:02 PM on December 27, 2007 marked best answer

If getting rid of stuff is a priority, then turn it inside out. Instead of looking at each thing you own and deciding whether or not to keep it, set aside a few minutes and do an Easter egg hunt:

- find 15 clothing items to give to charity
- find 15 books to give to your local school or library
- find 15 things to trash
- find 15 gadgets to give to your favorite electronics junkie
- find 15 things to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:24 AM on December 27, 2007 marked best answer

1. If Van is in good shape, you can take an afternoon and drive it around to some car lots and find out who'll give you the best price the day before you leave. That won't give you top dollar, but it will guarantee that you get a buyer on your time frame. (I had success doing that with my very-good-condition Honda Civic several years ago.)

You really need to figure out where you're going to live before you make that decision, although if you're working downtown, the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:14 AM on December 27, 2007

If this infatuation is as overwhelming as you say, there's only a couple things I can think of that will help you.

First, you can pursue this to its inevitably ugly and (for you) humiliating end. Send her "secret admirer" gifts. Ask all her friends about her. Introduce her boyfriend to Adriana Lima. Understand that she DOES NOT feel the way about you that you do about her - otherwise, you'd today be asking for honeymoon advice.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 10:54 AM on December 23, 2007

I assume you posted here because you're really interested in finding a solution to your problem, and you haven't ruled out learning things that may challenge the assumptions you now hold.

If she's not a "devout" Catholic and is primarily doing this to please her parents, then you should be able to make that sacrifice for her. Regardless of her personal devotion to the Church, her family background makes her Catholicism part of who she is, and you knew, or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 10:40 AM on November 6, 2007

My partner was a prosecutor right out of law school. He spent a year conducting something along the lines of thirty jury trials. In the ten years since, he's had far fewer than that.

My point is, student loans can be deferred - my state even helps prosecutors pay for theirs - if you take a job that gives you highly desirable experience even if the pay sucks. If I could take a Mulligan on my first year out of law school, I would strongly reconsider my decision to not... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:54 AM on July 23, 2007

Copyright != trademark

Let me say that again:

Copyright != trademark


Under the LGPL you can 1) copy and 2) distribute either a) the original work or b) a derivative work so long you comply with the terms of the license.

Using a derivative work as a logo on a website is probably NOT "distribution" within the meaning of the LGPL. (Distribution of a copyrighted work generally... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 3:14 PM on July 10, 2007

So, your, um... "friend" wants to "change his identity? I assume what you really mean is that he wants to conceal his criminal past. There is almost certainly no way to do that legally.

However, if he really wants to get away from his past, start a new life, get a blank slate, the best way to do that is to move somewhere far, far away, like a new country, one that won't care about his Canadian transgressions. Someplace like North Korea, perhaps.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:30 AM on May 21, 2007

@adamrice: I think your RSS solution will probably work for me. It looks like I can use the fetch function to keep all the processing local so I don't have to depend on another server (like Feedburner, which I use to do the blog includes on my front page. )

@anil: This won't be a personal site, and given my budget for this project, a commercial MT license isn't an option.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 2:19 PM on March 23, 2007

@breezeway: That's the line that closed the deal for me numerous times throughout college. Do not abuse it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 1:03 PM on March 23, 2007

In some states your unemployment benefits MAY NOT be affected by part-time work or receipt of severance pay, nor the timing of your last paycheck. Many states have online information about factors affecting eligibility and offsets.

I cannot speak for Ohio.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 11:08 AM on September 21, 2006

Sounds to me like her depression and expectations of failure are more of a cause than an effect. Is there a way she could get some counseling about that?

If she's able to make headway on that issue, a lot of the other stuff could work itself out. After all, there's lots of ways to make money with no qualifications, but even qualifications won't mint money for someone with no hope or drive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 10:51 AM on September 21, 2006

"Not while Michael Jackson is at large."

- Or -

Pretend to take your temperature, loudly announce, "Actually, I'm ovulating RIGHT NOW! Hone,y GET OVER HERE!" and start disrobing. That'll get the party started.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:42 PM on September 12, 2006

Just for the record here, there's a lot of quasi-legal advice that's incomplete, inapplicable or just plain wrong.

That's fair - I suck at web design; I don't expect non-lawyers to be Louis Brandeis. But anyone who's really trying to make a go at freelancing as a busienss needs to take some basic steps to educate oneself about the basic business law of the state (or states - even worse!) one does business in. Take a trip to the library where the books are free; if you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:24 PM on September 12, 2006

I am embarrassed for all of the Metafilter Comunity that not a single person has suggested "Sweet Home Brew."

(Although "Birminghammer" does have a nice ring to it)
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 9:26 AM on September 8, 2006

By the way... if you create a non-admin user on your Mac laptop, and leave that user logged in while the laptop sleeps, then Spotlight won't be able to find files in any other user directories.

Just sayin'.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:32 AM on September 7, 2006

As far as the copyright issue goes, there are a few things to consider:

1. You probably won't get sued. In order for the author to sue you (in the U.S., anyway) they'd have to first register their copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office.

2. If the author registers their copyright AFTER the alleged infringement, and then sues, they would only be able to obtain actual damages, not statutory damages or attorneys fees, and they might also be able... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:44 AM on September 7, 2006

Bobby:

I'm not your lawyer. You are not my client. I may or may not ever have practiced law in Virginia, but I most certainly do not today. For all you know, I'm the prosecutor and I'm out to screw you.

Now that that's out of the way...

Look at the summons. It will tell you which General District Court has jurisdiction of your citation. If you have ANY DOUBT AT ALL about what the charge is, call up the Clerk of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:20 PM on September 6, 2006

We bid on the house and came to an agreement, pending the home inspection.

Does the sales agreement represent that there's a garage in the house? Did you bid on the house without actually seeing it first?

In many states, you could probably demand compensation for the $400 based on false advertising or some equivalent claim. If the listing was placed by a licensed professional, you have a lot more leverage because that type of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:47 PM on September 6, 2006

Hamachi, anyone>?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:15 PM on August 13, 2006

Is watching porn at work sexual harassment? It can be, if it creates a "hostile work environment." Sexually explicit material that is observable by other people, regardless of attempts to conceal it, would probably qualify in many circumstances. (Remember that this is probably going to be a jury's call.)

Only if the material is successfully concealed (i.e., fully encrypted, viewed with door shut, shades drawn, and no one actually knows it's happening) would... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 6:16 PM on July 8, 2006

You guys have got it all wrong. Allow me to quote Rita Rudner:

Getting rid of a man without hurting his masculinity is a problem. "Get out" and "I never want to see you again" might sound like a challenge. If you want to get rid of a man, I suggest saying, "I love you, I want to marry you, I want to have your children." Sometimes they leave skid marks.

It works both ways - every girl I thew myself... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 8:23 PM on July 7, 2006

Just one game? In the past, when given unepected amounts of bachelor time, I've had great success renting games from Blockbuster, et al. You can sign up for their Netflix-like game package (I seem to recall they once had a "summer game pass" for ~$50) and rent all the games you want.

If you have to limit it to just one game, I'd give the new Tomb Raider a crack - I'm two levels in and it's pretty good, though it may not last you three months.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 2:17 PM on May 26, 2006

Dude, you're paving a Dell.

The system disc you will receive will almost certainly wipe your HD clean. Before it arrives, find yourself another boot disc and use it to fire up that machine long enough to perform a full data backup. Someone above recommended Knoppix, which I have used to great effect under similar circumstances at the office.

I have paved two Dells for my family, one of which I'm using at this very moment, with Dell system... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 2:03 PM on May 26, 2006

Sell them and buy your wife a pair of 1-carat earrings (or other durable, romantic gift to her taste)
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 1:46 PM on May 26, 2006

My sex drive is good, I really look forward to it and I often get an orgasm after my husband stimulates me with his fingers. If the penetration lasts for more than a couple of minutes, I do not enjoy myself anymore and a while after that it becomes uncomfortable.

You don't say exactly what the problem is. Physical pain? Boredom? Distraction due to the kid sleeping in the room? Anixiety about body image? Feelings of guilt?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 12:21 PM on May 23, 2006

1. You could be exposing yourself to civil liability for invasion of privacy.

2. You could be exposing your high school friends to criminal liability for illegal acts you captured on film.

3. You could be exposing yourself to criminal liability for your role in any illegal activities taking place while you were taking pictures.

I would, if I were you:

- avoid posting any pictures depciting any... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:23 AM on May 23, 2006

medusa: I get quetions like this frequently, and I'll give you the same answer I give everyone else. If you are considering starting a business, your first two orders of business should be retaining a lawyer and a CPA/tax advisor. If you can't fit these into your budget your business is fatally underfunded.

Should you start an LLC? It depends on many factors. There are two reasons to do so: liability protection and tax benefits. I can't speak well to the latter,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 8:25 AM on May 19, 2006 marked best answer

One of these solutions ought to do the trick. I'll take a crack at 'em and let you know what my results were.

Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:34 AM on May 10, 2006

Anon, if this contact is worth a substantial sum of money to your company, it's almost certainly worth paying a local legal professional to give you some advice.

Outside the legal arena, though, there's a reason the University brought you on top the project in the first place. You offer expertise or some other quality that they can't duplicate within their own organization. That means you may have more leverage than you think.

Does your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 7:32 AM on May 10, 2006

Most, if not all attorneys, have one or more trust accounts in which they hold funds that belong to other people - advance fee deposits, settlement proceeds, advance expense payments, and so on.

Any reputable lawyer will be able to accept funds on an advance payment basis and hold it in their trust accounts, keeping records of who gave how much.

As the poster above said, these funds are "heavily regulated" which means the best way... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikewas at 5:36 AM on May 10, 2006